Voodoo lily
Sauromatum venosum

Family: Araceae

What it is like

A herb which forms tubers. The corm can be 13 cm across. The leaf stalk is mottled black. It forms leaves after flowering. The leaf occurs singly and has 7-15 variable lobes. The interior of the spathe is speckled. The flower stalk or spadix is finger-like. The fruit are red berries. The seeds are oval and 1.8 mm across. The flower has a bad smell. The leaves appear after flowering.

There are 2-6 Sauromatum species.

Where it is found

A subtropical plant. It grows in primary evergreen forests, meadows by river, secondary thickets, pathsides between 1350-2030 m in southern China. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, China, Bhutan, East Africa, Ethiopia, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pakistan, SE Asia, Sikkim, Slovenia, Tibet

How it is used for food

CAUTION: The tuber is toxic. It must be carefully processed. The tuber is boiled then cut into pieces and leached in running water. It is then cooked and eaten whole or processed into flour. The leaves are used as a vegetable. The stems are cooked.

It is a famine food.

Edible parts

Tubers, root, leaves, stem

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bhasma-kand, Bukki-bu're, Dhey, Diva kand, Diva, Kidachali, Lapra, Loth, Ninkerowly, Nurki, Pindi, Wenut

Synonyms

Arum venosum Aiton, Hort; Arum guttatum Wallich; Arum pedatum Willd.; Sauromatum guttatum (Wallich) Schott; Sauromatum pedatum Schott.; Arum sessiliflorum Roxburgh;